SCHORR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Creative education

From curriculum to building design, focus on uniqueness

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By LAURA TUCKER

VIEW STAFF WRITER

Steven Schorr Elementary School will open its doors to students on Aug. 30, and the staff is hoping to mold the "Superstars" of tomorrow.

Schorr Elementary, located at 11420 Placid St., is one of nine new schools opening this year in the Clark County School District and is the only one opening in the Southeast region.

Principal Ken Wronski said he is a believer in elementary school being the foundation for the rest of a child's academic career.

"Every child loves school if they're taught to love school and have a good experience with school. There's something that gets you" Wronski said.

Wronksi said he and his staff plan to create a good experience for children through a creative arts philosophy and a number of unique programs.

"We wanted a school that was a neighborhood school that still had all the after school activities of a private school," he said.

Because it is a creative arts school, all of the arts -- music, visual and written -- will be implemented into the curriculum for all subjects.

Schorr Elementary also will teach the Suzuki method of learning in cooperation with the Nevada School of the Arts.

The Suzuki method is based on the theory that children can learn language at a young age, and therefore can be taught to play an instrument as children, as well.

Wronski said he used music in the classroom when he taught first, third and fifth grades eight years ago. While his students were doing a writing assignment, Wronski would put on songs by the Beach Boys or play his piano.

"Those are the things kids remember," he said.

Schorr Elementary will have more time set aside for specialists and will have a science instructor who is treated as a specialist.

Aside from a creative arts focus, Schorr Elementary will offer an optional extended-day kindergarten for $300 per month. The students will receive the same curriculum as those who attend for a half-day, but more time and activities will be given to the subject matter.

Wronski said data on the extended-day program will be taken to the state.

In addition, fifth grade will be departmentalized, meaning students will move classrooms to three separate teachers in preparation for middle school and beyond.

Schorr Elementary has several programs for delayed learners or students who need more attention in their learning processes. The school offers an early childhood program for 3- to 4-year-olds who are developmentally delayed or have autism.

Teachers also were trained on the Read 180 program, designed to help fourth- and fifth-graders who are performing below their reading levels.

The school also will feature an inclusion lab using a co-teaching model. Instead of pulling students who need more help learning out of the classroom, the special needs teacher provides services in the classroom.

This is meant to cut down on scheduling conflicts, but also give students needed extra help.

The programs, Wronski said, are reinforced by the school's motto, "Where even the smallest star shines."

Schorr Elementary students will attend recess before eating lunch and will return to an academic setting promptly after eating.

The reason for this, Wronski said, is that he observed students dumping out their lunches in order to go outside and play faster.

"When you're a kid, you only want to play," Wronski said.

The result, he said, is a quieter, calmer lunch, and a quicker time for children to get back into the academic mindset.

Schorr students will wear standard attire, basic color shirts with khaki, navy or white pants. The measure was decided through parent surveys.

"(Standard attire) gives everyone an equal footing when they walk into the classroom," Wronski said.

Schorr Elementary also will look different from older schools in its design, using the 98 Prototype.

Classrooms for every grade level will encircle a large learning center, where computers and other technological teaching tools will be used. The design has been standard for schools that opened in the year 2000 or later.

A dedication ceremony is planned for Feb. 20, 2007. Wronski said the Las Vegas Philharmonic is set to play at the event.

Wronski said the school's namesake, vice president of public and government affairs for Cox Communications Steven Schorr, plans to be at the school every day he is in town.

Schorr said he passes the school every two or three days just to monitor its progress. He also plans to be at the school on the first day to meet the children.

"When these things happen, it's not only a dream come true, it's something you think about all the time," he said. "Driving up to the school and seeing my name on it is just the most amazing thing in the world."

Schorr has lived in Las Vegas for almost 30 years and has been active in the community.

He helped found Nevada Child Seekers, an organization dedicated to finding missing and abducted children, and is on the boards of the 100 Black Men, the Nevada Ballet Theater and the Latin Chamber of Commerce.

He also helped create A Welcome Home, a program designed to find homes for children with special needs. He and Cox Communications also have been involved with Save the Music, a program that helps raise money for music programs in schools across the country.

"If I can change the future for one child, then I've been successful in life," Schorr said.

Schorr grew up in the projects in New Jersey. He said he was not doing well in school when one of his teachers took notice and told him he could do better.

The teacher called people from her university and told them to accept Schorr into the school on a probationary basis.

Schorr said that was the turning point in his life, and why he is so involved with helping children.

"If it wasn't for her believing in me, I would have stayed where I was," Schorr said.

Deborah Tippins, executive assistant at Cox Communications, said many organizations supported the naming of the school at the Clark County School Board meeting in 2003, including the Andre Agassi Foundation and all of the chambers of commerce.

"It was not about Cox Communications. It was about Steve Schorr," Tippins said.

The news of the school was a surprise to Schorr, who found out when his son Darrin stopped by his house to deliver the news.

Schorr said having a school named for him is an excellent way to give back to the community.

"If I can say thank you by helping children reach their dreams, then when it's time for me to go, I can go peacefully," Schorr said.